Pneumatic hydraulic vise



F; W. KENT PNEUMATIC HYDRAULIC visa 'Filed July 27, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet1 I @W W June 18, 1946; F. w; KENT v 2,402,411

I PNEUMATIC HYDRAULIC VISE k Filed July 27, 1942- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented June 18, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PNEUMATIC HYDRAULICvIsE Frederick W. Kent, Chicago, 111.. I Application July 2 7 1942,Serial No 452,391

This invention relates to improvements in a vise adapted to be mountedupon the work table of a milling machine or other machineswherein ameans for holding an object to be Worked upon may be required ordesirable.

The object of the invention is to provide a structure of thetypespecified which is operated hydraulically to clamp the work inplace, and which is equipped with interchangeable jaws to receivearticles of different dimensionsand which is also provided with meansfor varying the spacing apart of such jaws and with means for effect ingquick release of the work when desired or necessary,

Another object of my invention is the provision of a vise in which bothpneumatic and hydraulic pressure afiects the locking of the workpiece inthe vise. Vises utilizing pneumatic or 8 Claims,

hydraulic pressure and particularly pneumatic 4 pressure, as a lockingmeans, have, because of the need for variable pressure, on difierentsize work-pieces resorted to a large and cumbersome cylinder orcylinders to provide the maximum pressures required. The step-up" oflocking pressure of my vise eliminates this objectionable feature and amuch smaller, more sturdy, compact vise, with a large work-piececapacity results.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will be readily understoodfrom the following description and, in part at least, are particularlypointed out therein.

A suitable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in detail in theaccompanying drawings which are, in part, more or less diagrammatic inthat they omit certain conventional details of construction common tofluid pressure actuated machinery.

In said drawings, a

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the Vise constructed in accordance with theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof withmy parts shown in verticallongitudinal section.

The said vise comprises a baserplate it which is equipped peripherallywith recesses ll, l2, l3 and M, respectively, to receive the shanks ofbolts by means of which said base plate is rigidly mounted upon theframe of the machine. It is desired to call attention to the fact thatthe recesses H, 12,13 and I4 complement the ways of the standard millingmachine carriage so that my vise may be secured thereto without specialfixtures.

gTheQsaid-plate 1001s equipped with. suitable parallel guide formationsl5 and IS with which the .ba'se'portions of the respective vise jawmembers i5 and H are slidably engaged. The structure includes a memberl8 which is rigid with the base plate and is equipped with a verticallydisposed pocket 21 to receive a suitable liquid, such as oil, and isequipped at its upper end with suitable closure plugs 27a and'2lb,respectively, the latter being equipped with a stop projection 21copposed to the end of a piston 26 which is recipro'cably movable in apassage or cylinder communicating with the pocket 21 and is rigid withthe vice jaw member Iii which it actuates.

In the lower end of the member 8 there is provided a cylindrical passage21d which receives thepiston 29 secured to the piston rod 30 of thepiston 32 of cylinder 33, said piston 30 extending through the bearing32 of the said cylinder, The passage to receive the rod 29 may be termeda cylinder which communicates at point 28 with the pocket 21,

The vise jawrmemb'ers l5 and I1 are equipped with'removable workengaging jaws 20 and M which are equipped with recesses 28' and 2! intheir opposed faces and are adapted to be replacedbyother jaw elementshaving variously shaped recessesin which the work is to be engaged.

Rigid with the base plate 10 is a pair of flanges ltd equipped'withinwardly projecting ears lfle through which the shanks of screws 24 and'25 extend freely for movement with respect to said ears, said screwsbeing engaged in threaded openings in the Visa jaw member i6.Compression springs 22 and 23 of suitable length and strength areinterposed between the ears We and the heads of the screws and 25, orwasher engaged with said heads as shown.

The cylinder 33 is'equipped with ports 33a and 43%), respectively, theformer being connected with the valve casing 34 equipped with a two-wayvalve adapted to beflac'tliated .by the lever 35. Said valve casing isequipped with an exhaust port ait! and is connected by means of pipe 36.with a source of supplyoi fluid under pressure,

such as air, which is admitted to the cylinder 33 when the valve is inthe position shown. Said valve is adaptedtobe rotated through an arc of90". to connect the port 33d with the exhaust port 34a to relievepressure in the cylinder at one end of the piston 32; Obyiouslythe port331) maybe controlled by a similar two-way valveiior actue ating thepiston in the vdirection opposite to that in which it is moved when thevalve of casing 34 is in the position shown.

It will be noted of course that the diameter of the piston 32 is manytimes that of the piston rod 29 so that the pressure exerted by thelatter upon the liquid contained in the pocket 21 will be subjected tomany times the pressure exerted upon the piston 32 by compressed air orother fluid entering the port 33a. This particular feature of y vise isof substantial importance since it is one of the factors which permits asubstantial step-up" of the pressure exerted by the jaw |6 as comparedwith the fluid pressure exerted against the piston 32. Another factorthat controls the step-up of pressure is the comparative length ofstroke or travel of the pistons 29 and 26. Thus the "step-up of jawpressure can be regulated without resorting to mechanical leverage orlarge cumbersome cylinders. As a matter of practical engineering a forceof .50 to 60 times the air or fluid line Pressure is exerted at the jawsof my vise.

Rigid with the jaw member I! is a member 40 shown in section in Fig. 2,which is provided with a substantially semi-cylindrical bottom bushingthreaded to engage the screw shaft 31 which is also threaded through themember |c rigidly with the base plate In and is adapted to be actuatedmanually by the crank arm 39. The bushing 38 is rigidly mounted in themember We as is customary.

Threaded through the top wall of the member 49 is a set screw 4| whichis rotatably connected at its lower end with a substantiallysemi-cylindrical nut 4|a which is adapted to be clamped tightly upon thescrew shaft 31 to hold the latter against rotation and thus hold thevise jaw rigidly in any position to which it may have been adjusted byrotation of the crank 39 after the nut portion 4|a relieves pressure onthe screw shaft 31.

The operation of the structure above described is as follows:

It will b noted that the springs 22 and 23 operate to maintain the jawmember 20 normally in engagement with the flanges |0d and serve also tomaintain the piston 26 at the rearward limit of its movement as shown inFig. 2. If desired, however,.the stop projection 210 may be disposed toconstitute the means for limiting the reverse movement or workdisengaging movement of the jaw H in place of utilizing the forwardedges of the members IOb as stops a aforesaid. If the springs 22 and 23are strong enough to efiect movement of the piston 32 to the right whenthe valve'of casing 34 connects cylinder 33 with the exhaust port 34a,then the port 33b will not require connection with a valve as abovedescribed but will merely constitute a vent.

Assuming the piston 32 to be disposed at the right-hand limit of itsmovement, then by setting the valve connected with the port 331) (ifsuch valve is provided) to the position wherein air from the lft handchamber of the cylinder may be exhausted to atmosphere, and thenpositioning the valve of the casing 34 in the position shown in Fig. 2,the piston would be forced to the limit of its forward movement asdetermined by the engagement of the work jaw I6 with the work, it beingobvious that this might be substantially any point between the ends ofthe cylindrical passage receiving the piston 29. The piston 29 as it isadvanced in the cylindrical passage has displaced the oil, or otherliquid, from said passage into the chamber 27. where the oil sodisplaced has in turn "actuated the piston 26 and the jaw I intoengagement with the work-piece.

When this position is attained, the valve of case ing 34 may be closedby rotating it through an arc of about 45 or it may be retained in theposition shown in Fig. 2 to maintain the cylinder connected with thesource of fluid under pressure. With the valve in its closed position,it may be disconnected from the air pressure source, and the work-piecewill still be securely gripped. Obviously, the disengagement of thevalve from the fluid or air pressure source will facilitate the workingof the work-piece and, in addition removes the possibility of injuringeither the workpiece or the operator utilizing my vise should a fluidpressure failure occur.

When it is desired to release the work and re- 'move it, the valve ofcasing 34 will be rotated anti-clockwise through an arc of to connectthe port 33a with the exhaust port 34a and the valve (if provided)controlling the port 3312 would then be turned to admit compressed airthrough said port and thus force the piston 32 back to its normalposition at the right-hand end of the cylinder 33. The piston 29 is alsowithdrawn from the cylindrical passage and the oil of chamber 21 seeksthe lower level of the cylindrical passage vacated by the piston 29 sothat the pressure on piston 26 is released and the springs 22 and 23retract the piston 26 and jaw Hi from engagement with the work-piece tothe position shown in Fig. 2.

If by chance it should be necessary to move the jaw 2| to the right fromthe position shown in Fig. 2, the set screw 4| will be rotated torelieve pressure on the nut portion Ma and the crank 39 then rotated tocause the jaw 2| to be moved to the right. After releasing the work andreplacing it with a new piece or pieces, the crank 39 will be againoperated until the jaw 2| is in its desired position, the screw-shaftthen clamped against rotation and thereafter the foregoing operationsrepeated so far as manipulation of the valve or valves is concerned. Itis to be understood that the specific means for actuating the jaw 2| andof securing it in a pre-determined position is only one mechanicalexpedient, that other equivalent means may be substituted by personsskilled in the art, and that such changes are within my contemplation.

The drawings are diagrammatic in so far as they omit illustration ofsuch conventional structural details as the inclusion of proper packingrings about the piston rod 30 and the piston 29 or omit stufiing boxescommonly used.

The words fluid pressure as used herein in conjunction with Or referringto the valve 34 and the cylinder 33 are to be construed as inclusive ofsuch gases as might be used for such a pneumatic application but shallnot be construed as meaning or including liquids. The specifying of oilas the hydraulic medium used in the chamber 2'! is not one oflimitation, since other liquids might serve equally as well.

I claim:

1. In a vise, the combination with a bed provided with a guideway and amovable jaw mounted for reciprocation longitudinally of the guideway, ofa hydraulic cylinder behind said jaw, a second hydraulic cylinder belowthe bed and disposed longitudinally of the guideway, a piston in thefirst cylinder and connected with the jaw, a conduit affordingcommunication between said cylinders, a hydraulic liquid in the conduitand the respective cylinders, a single'stroke plunger in the secondcylinder, the liquid in the cylinders and conduits being confinedbetween said plunger and'piston, and means fcr. the reciprocation ofsaid plunger beneath the bed to efiect longi-- tudinal movement of thejaw along the guideway.

2. The device of claim, 1 in which the means for efiecting plungermovement comprises a pneumatic cylinder and piston below the bed, thepneumatic piston being directly coupled with said plunger and thepneumatic cylinder being provided with a pneumatic pressure line andcontrol valve means for admitting and exhausting pressure.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the means for eifecting plungermovement comprises a pneumatic cylinder and piston below the bed, thepneumatic piston being directly coupled with said plunger and thepneumatic cylinder being provided with a pneumatic pressure line and acontrol valve for admitting and exhausting pressure, the hydrauliccylinder below the bed-being of materially reduced cross section ascompared with the hydraulic cylinder behind the jaw and the pneumaticcylinder being of large cross section in proportion to the pressuresupply line, whereby a moderate pressure in the supply line will exertgreatly increased pressure at the jaw.

4. A vise comprising a hollow base, a bed extending longitudinally ofsaid base and provided with a longitudinal guideway, a first jawadjustable longitudinally of the bed and provided with means for fixingit in adjusted position, a second jaw movable along the guideway towardand from the first jaw, a hydraulic cylinder behind the second jaw, apiston in the cylinder connected with the second jaw, means biasing thesecond jaw for movement along the guideway away from the first jaw, aliquid conduit leading to the hydraulic cylinder, a second hydrauliccylinder with which said conduit communicates, said second hydrauliccylinder being disposed longitudinally of the base below the bed, aplunger in the second hydraulic cylinder, said plunger and secondcylinder being of materially smaller area in cross section than thehydraulic cylinder first mentioned and its piston, a pneumatic cylinderextending longitudinally of the base below the bed and of crosssectional area greatly exceeding that of the second hydraulic cylinder,a piston in the pneumatic cylinder and projecting toward said plunger,means coupling the pneumatic piston to said plunger, a pneumatic supplyline, control valve means for admitting pneumatic fluid from said lineto the pneumatic cylinder and for releasing pneumatic fiuid from thepneumatic cylinder, and a liquid confined in the hydraulic cylinders andcommunicating conduit between the hydraulic piston and said plunger,said liquid serving to transmit motion between the plunger and thesecond vise jaw according as the pneumatic piston is subjected topressure or relief of pressure in the pneumatic cylinder.

5. A vise comprising a bed afiording a longitudinal guideway, a firstjaw provided with means fixing it to said bed, a second jaw movablealong the guideway toward and from the first jaw, hydraulic cylinder andpiston means above the bed and operatively connected for actuating thesec- 6 ond jaw, a liquid conduit leading to the hydraulic cylinder andpiston means from a point below the bed, a second hydraulic cylinder andpiston means disposed below the bed and communicating with said conduit,the second hydraulic cylinder and piston means being materially smallerin cross-sectional area than the hydraulic cylinder and piston meansfirst mentioned, a pneumatic cylinder and piston means below the bed andoperatively connected with the second hydraulic cylinder and pistonmeans for effecting liquid displacement therein and otherwisemechanically independent of said second hydraulic cylinder and pistonmeans, a hydraulic liquid confined in the first and second mentionedhydraulic cylinder and piston means and the conduit therebetween, andmeans for admitting pneumatic fluid to and exhausting pneumatic fiuidfrom the pneumatic cylinder.

6. The vise set forth in claim 5 in which the first mentioned hydrauliccylinder and piston means comprises a spring biasing the piston from thecylinder in a direction to retract the second jaw respecting the firstjaw of the vise.

7. In a vise, the combination with a bed providing a guideway, a firstjaw having means fixing it upon said bed and a second jaw movable alongthe guideway to and from the first jaw, of a hydraulic cylinder behindthe second jaw, a second hydraulic cylinder below the bed and disposedlongitudinally of the guideway, a piston in the first cylinder connectedwith the second jaw, a conduit affording communication between thecylinders, a hydraulic liquid in the conduit and respective cylinders, asingle stroke plunger in the second cylinder, the liquid in thecylinders and conduits being confined between the plunger and thepiston, a pneumatic cylinder independent of the second hydrauliccylinder and disposed below the bed and longitudinally of the guideway,a piston in the pneumatic cylinder having a connecting rod projectingtoward the second hydraulic cylinder, a coupling connecting theconnecting rod of the pneumatic piston with said plunger for theoperation thereof, and means including an air supply line and controlvalve for admitting fluid pressure to and exhausting fluid pressure fromthe pneumatic cylinder for acting on the piston thereof to actuate saidplunger for the displacement of a hydraulic liquid from the secondhydraulic cylinder and said conduit to the first hydraulic cylinder forthe operation of said second jaw.

8. The device set forth in claim 7 in which the first mentionedhydraulic cylinder comprises a compression spring seated between the endof the cylinder and the piston therein and acting upon said piston in adirection to oppose the admission of hydraulic liquid to such cylinderand, upon the release of pneumatic pressure in the pneumatic cylinder todisplace hydraulic liquid from the first mentioned cylinder toward thesecond mentioned hydraulic cylinder and thereupon to retract said secondjaw along said guideway.

FREDERICK W. KENT.

